The Land Before Oz

What was Oz like before it was a fairyland? Well, The Land Before Oz doesn't exactly tell you. It tells you what Oz was like back in the time of the dinosaurs. So, yeah, we're looking at Oz before it was a fairyland, just much further back than you may have thought.

The main part in prehOZstoric times deals with a group of friendly herbivore dinosaurs who are planning a charity for two orphaned iguanadons. Since this is Chris Dulabone and Marin Xiques writing, you can expect that instead of a fantasy based on fact, these dinosaurs live a life loosely based on modern life, even with property ownership and a currency. So, rather than complain about it being unrealistic, you take the story on its own and enjoy it.

Meanwhile, in present-day Oz, King Nibble of Giant's Peak (Baum's "The Littlest Giant") sets out to use his Golden Dart to make more trouble for the people of Oz. However, the way he leaves Giant's Peak causes him to be reduced to human sized, and he soon meets the Tin Woodman and the Woozy, who have befriended Yawner and Dumper, the titular characters from The Green Goblins of Oz. However, when Nibble tries to use the Golden Dart on the Tin Woodman, he catches it, and to make itself return to Nibble, the Dart sends the Tin Woodman and his friends back in time to our friendly herbivores.

And not only do we have Nibble roaming present-day Oz with the Golden Dart, back in prehOZstoric (okay, that word is not in the book, I made it up, though I can swear I saw it before) times, all attempts at making the charity succeed are being sabotaged by a saber-tooth tiger named Suzy and a dull-witted raptor named Boggus who want the baby iguanadons dead!

So, can Suzy, Nibble, and Boggus be foiled before their wicked schemes come to fruition? And can the Tin Woodman and his friends get back to present-day Oz?

Overall, The Land Before Oz is quite a fun little story! Just remember to have fun with it! It's also illustrated by Aaron Almanza, who can be goofy, but definitely enjoys drawing dinos!

You can get the book here!